In terms of health and care, those aged 65 and over represent on average 20% of the population, or 2.3 million Belgians who hope, perhaps, to afford a place in a rest home to finish their old age. days. Problem is, the cost of these establishments continues to increase, which is not necessarily the case for pensions. In Brussels and Wallonia, it costs on average 2000 euros per month for a standard rest home.
In a Brussels rest home, Suzanne and her sister Françoise have their eyes glued to the bills from their mother’s rest home: 2,100 euros. This is what she pays each month, a rate which will increase further from February 1st by 94 euros.
“I paid 1728 euros in 2 years, so in February 2023, which makes a difference of 372 euros in 2 years. It’s just huge, it’s not possible“, they explain.
Has spending your last days in a nursing home become a luxury? In a home in Watermael-Boisfort, prices vary from 2,200 to 2,900 euros per month. Added to this are additional costs for a hairdresser, doctor, pedicure and even medication.
“It’s true, the cost of a nursing home is expensive because the cost of living is expensive, the management fees are expensive, the staff is expensive“, explains the director of this home. The staff represents 60 to 70% of the budget of a rest home. To this must be added the maintenance of the building, energy bills and even food.
For almost all residents, it is impossible to pay the bill simply with their pension. “I must have around 1,700 euros, something like that, and the price with all the costs of doctors, etc., medicines, everything you can, it still comes to 2700. So you have to find a saving of 1000 euros, and luckily I was thrifty during my working time“, notes a resident.
Three times a week, Françoise comes to see her dad Emile, almost 101 years old, the oldest in the nursing home. With his specific needs, his bill ranges from 3000 to 3400 euros per month. “Dad still has a good pension, but it’s not enough. Mom was a stay-at-home mom, dad worked alone and so to come here, they sold their house. I agree to pay, but I expect a service in return, which frankly is not always the case“, believes Françoise.
-Saving your entire life to pay for the end of your life in a nursing home: without this money aside and no means of paying, some residents could have made a completely different choice. “I think we are also at a bit of a turning point now, since we also have the right to euthanasia. So, I think that people who may no longer have the means or would not want to bother their family will decide when the time is right to make this gesture.“, explains another resident’s daughter.
But what explains the price of rest homes is also the aging of the population. Staffing needs have increased in recent years, but funding remains limited. “Which means that if we want to have adequate staff to properly care for our residents, we must hire a certain number of people with our own funds. Politicians really need to rethink the way we finance nursing homes“, notes the director.
Private rest homes remain more expensive than others. “Pbecause the private sector does not benefit from a whole series of aid and subsidies which are offered to the associative sector. Furthermore, the public sector has no limit on its operating losses. Prices are regulated. A nursing home is not free to increase its price as it wishes. It is subject to prior authorization“, notes Vincent Fredericq, secretary general of the Federation of Private Rest Homes.
Over the last nine years, the price of rest homes has skyrocketed, +38%. Count on average 1850 euros in Wallonia and 2084 in Brussels. The Belgian pension is also increasing, but much more slowly: 2,142 euros gross for a man, 20% less for a woman.
rest home price
